Nathan closed his eyes. He didn’t answer.
I knew what he was thinking.
He was torn. He couldn’t let go of the woman he had been with for eight years, yet he was unwilling to make the one he truly loved suffer.
Just as the tension in the room thickened, a knock sounded on the door.
Nathan quickly crossed the room and pulled it open.
Jake stood outside, his face anxious. “Mr. Heath, I’ve been calling you nonstop, but you wouldn’t pick up. I even called Mrs. Bartlett, but she told me not to disturb you.
“I waited until Ms. Trinity’s surgery was over, but I couldn’t hold it off any longer. It’s the middle of summer, and Ms. Tegan’s body is decomposing fast. If we don’t take her to the crematorium soon, it’s going to be a real problem.”
Nathan swayed on his feet. If Jake hadn’t caught him in time, he would have collapsed.
Trinity snapped at Jake, her voice sharp, “Did Tegan pay you off to lie to Nate? She always threatens Mom by saying she’ll jump off a building. Why does she keep cursing herself like that?”
Nathan’s eyes lit up in an instant. “That’s right! Maybe Tegan realized she was wrong and is using this to get my attention. She wants to make me come back so she can apologize!”
1/2
Chapter 8
+25 BONUS
I let out a bitter laugh.
Jake’s expression turned unreadable. “Mr. Heath, how could I possibly lie to you about something like Ms. Tegan’s death?”
Nathan froze.
Then, without a second thought, he bolted out of the room, ignoring Trinity’s calls.
However, he ran straight into Mom.
She rubbed her arm where he had bumped into her and frowned. “Mr. Heath, where are you running off to in such a hurry?”
Nathan forced himself to answer. “Jake said… Tegan… She…”
The words were stuck in his throat. He couldn’t say it.
Mom, however, understood instantly. She waved him off, completely indifferent. “Don’t bother going. I already had the crematorium take care of it. Leaving her there was unsettling. I was worried she’d bring bad luck to Trinity.
“Trinity’s still recovering. I don’t have time to plan a funeral for that dead girl. Her ashes were a hassle, so I stuffed them in a shoebox and tossed them somewhere near the crematorium.”
